After several staff members were exposed to COVID-19, Crow Wing County leaders made the decision to switch to virtual service delivery as of 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, through Nov. 5.

This means entry to the land services building will be prohibited during that time. All services remain available online and by phone.

“This decision was made out of an abundance of caution to both our staff and the residents they serve,” stated County Administrator Tim Houle in a news release. “No one is immune to the spread of COVID-19. We are facing the same disruptions we’re seeing at our schools and local businesses. We are taking steps to divide our workforce and minimize physical contact between our staff. I want to reassure our community that staff will continue to work and offer all the services we have available. Maintaining the needs of our residents is always our top priority.”

There is a dropbox in front of the land services building, 322 Laurel St., Brainerd. For assistance, call land services at 218-824-1010 or email landservices@crowwing.us. Help is also available at crowwing.us.

This is the second Crow Wing County building to close its doors again in the last week. The community services building is expected to reopen for public entry Monday. All other county offices remain open, including the historic courthouse for early voting and mail ballot drop-off. County offices are open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Behind the numbers

The region continues to see the number of active cases increase at a quick clip, with Crow Wing, Morrison and Todd counties leading the way.

Mille Lacs County, however, continues to experience an increase in COVID-19-related deaths. A Mille Lacs County resident between the ages of 85 and 89 years old was the latest person in the seven-county north-central Minnesota area to die as a result of complications associated with COVID-19.

This marks the 11th consecutive day on which the death of a resident of one of the seven area counties was reported by the Minnesota Department of Health. It’s also the 16th death in Mille Lacs County, which as recently as Oct. 12 had a total of three deaths recorded.

COVID-19 data as of Oct. 28

• Aitkin — 188 (+23 since Friday, Oct. 23), with two deaths.

• Cass — 405 (+48), with five deaths.

• Crow Wing — 1,084 (+104), with 22 (+1) deaths.

• Mille Lacs — 432 (+45), with 16 (+2) deaths.

• Morrison — 802 (+108), with 10 (+2) deaths.

• Todd — 872 (+103), with six (+1) deaths.

• Wadena — 257 (+42), with three deaths.

NOTE: These numbers are cumulative since March 21 and many are out of isolation.